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Assembled in the Peoples’ Social Forum, August 21-24, 2014, in Ottawa: We, people of conscience, are witnessing yet another massacre of Palestinian civilian men, women and children of Gaza, who are occupied, besieged and blockaded by the armed forces of the occupying power, Israel.
In the current context of Israeli aggression across Palestine as of August 24, 2014, with over 2,000 Palestinians, killed in Gaza, (the majority of whom were civilians, including over 400 children), and Canadian complicity in these crimes, we need to intensify our efforts to bring about the following:
• STOP ALL AGGRESSION AGAINST GAZA!
• END ISRAEL’S ILLEGAL BLOCKADE OF GAZA!
• END ISRAEL’S POLICY OF APARTHEID!
We denounce Israeli aggression against Gaza and the shameful position of the Harper government and opposition parties. We demand that the Canadian, Quebec and provincial governments condemn Israel’s flagrant violation of International Law and pressure the Israeli government through sanctions until it respects International Law. We call upon Canada to place an arms embargo upon Israel, and end all military cooperation with Israel.
We further demand that, in accordance with the aims of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, Israel: end its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands, dismantle the separation/annexation Wall, and free all Palestinian and Arab political prisoners; recognize the fundamental rights of the Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality; and respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN General Assembly resolution 194.
In response to the call by Palestinian civil society launched in 2005, we call on the social forces throughout Canada to unite their solidarity actions with the Palestinian people around a priority: creating a large global movement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel’s apartheid regime.
We call upon social movements across Canada to participate in a coordinated effort to build a massive pan-Canadian day of action on March 30th 2015, which is Palestine Land Day, and has been called for as an International Day of Action for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, and take part in other actions of solidarity with Palestine and the Palestinian people. Among the demands we emphasize the denunciation of the Canadian government’s complicity with the Israeli apartheid regime.
Coordinating/participating organizations: Alternatives, Coalition BDS Quebec, Coalition against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA), Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA), Independent Jewish Voices, Gaza’s Ark, National Council on Canada-Arab Relations (NCCAR), Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians, and more.
NOTE: Full declaration to follow soon.
